Ang LEE's <Lust, Caution> just won the Golden Lion in Venise! SO COOL!

Can't wait to see this picture.

 

River Phoenix, quel talent!

 

 

柏昆搬走了。华灯刚刚也走了。

两年，好快。

 

分别总是件难过的事。还是小时那会儿好，拿每天当永远。

 

[ 我的感知依靠接触，好比琴弓压在琴弦上的声音。

也许我回来，是为了在家乡埋一滴眼泪，

好让我这一生也有乡愁。

 

那个大雪的夜晚，当我一个背转身，

我和林冲，既是生离，也是死别了。

 

这些年，我的梦始终在那条雪夜的路上无止境的奔跑；

或者冲进医院，见他最后一面，

握着他的手，对他说出我的爱。]

 

 

 

于是，在Babida的大提琴声里，那场大雪过后，这段没有发生的爱情，变成了一生一世。

 

夜，奔。

 

 

 

 

Hi P,

 

Comment vas tu? Ton nouveau bureau te plaît ? Alors Fang est encore vivante, même si elle ne t'a pas donné des nouvelles depuis longtemps… Tu l’excuseras, will you?

 

Mon PFE chez Setec se déroule correctement.  Au sein de la boite, la personne s'occupant directement de moi est un expert de structure. Soixantaine, il est d’origine indienne, et me parle presque tous les jours de sa philosophie de toutes les sortes de chose. De la vie, la mentalité des gens, la société… etc etc. Tout cela paraît intéressant mais parfois est un peu fatigant à entendre, à force des sujets qui ne sont pas forcément légers... Il m’a appris des chose, faut le dire. Maintenant je suis capable d’implanter les éléments structuraux nécessaires et donner leurs dimensionnement sur les plans d’architecte, si le bâtiment n’est pas trop tortu... . 

A part ça, mon chef est un italien, qui apparemment est content de ma présence dans son équipe.  Avec lui, on a souvent des longues discussions sur les impressions de mon stage, mon sentiment d’être à Setec, les idées d’évolution dans ce métier etc. D’ailleurs c’était le cas ce soir, ce qui a fait que je n’ai pas pu quitter mon bureau avant 22 heurs...  Sinon, dans la boite il y a aussi pas mal des jeunes, avec eux on s’entend très bien. De temps en temps des petite blagues sortent de mon bureau, animant bien l’ambiance de travail. 

 

Pour répondre à ta question, oui je vais toujours au cinéma. Ca a même devenu une partie indispensable de ma vie. « Leaving Las Vegas » dont tu avais mentionné, je l’ai déjà vu et bien aimé.  A ce propos, je t’informe qu’il y a pas mal de bons films qui sont programmés pour les mois juin et juillet, à la Cinémathèque de Bercy. Tels que « 1900 » de BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI, « L’eclisse » de MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI, ou encore « Le locataire » de ROMAN POLANSKI. N’hésite pas d’aller les voir si ça t’intéresse. Ce sont les films de tous les temps.

 

Ma vie est calme, comme je le souhaite. Je fait mes courses tous les dimanches matin au marché. Je lis le journal d’Andrei Tarkovski. En même temps, je commence à relire « Voyage au bout de la nuit », de ton Céline préféré. Elle le mérite, cette œuvre.  Lorsque j’ai le temps, et surtout l’envie, je fait aussi des petits voyages. Les séjours inoubliables en Toscane en Italie, la première fois d’assister à la course de taureau, dans un petit village à côté d’Avignon, la découverte du Pont du Nord en canoë...les voyages apportent toujours de bons souvenirs.  Ce qui me rend néanmoins un peu triste, c’est que depuis l’entrée de cette année, une bonne partie de mes amis chinois sont déjà partis, ou en train de partir. Ceux qui s’attachent beaucoup à la valeur de famille sont partis pour Shanghai ou Hongkong, ceux qui apprécient la notion de richesses sont partis pour Londres ou Tokyo. Parfois je me demande pourquoi j’ai voulu rester à Paris.  Il existe des éléments de réponse, faut encore chercher plus loin.

 

Voila, la simple vie de Fang, et elle s’en contente.  Et toi ? De ton côté tout va bien j’espère. Je serai contente d’avoir tes nouvelles, et tu es toujours bienvenu à coûter ma cuisine, qui a remporté pas mal de compliment de la part de mes amis.

 

Voilà, voilà. Maintenant faut que je te quitte. Porte-toi bien.

A plus.

 

 

Fang

证券股票交易印花税税率今日调整，由现行1‰调整为3‰.

 

全日沪深股市大幅下挫，约900只个股跌停。两市股指跌幅均超6%, 政策调控意图明显。

 

中国股市远未成熟。

 

...

哦对，王菲又怀孕了。

 

 

* LA PALME D'OR à «4 mois, 3 semaines et 2 jours»

* Le Grand prix du Jury à «La forêt de Mogari»

* Le prix du 60ème anniversaire à «Paranoïd Park» 

* Le prix de la mise en scène à «De l'autre côté»  

* Le prix de la mise en scène au «Scaphandre et le papillon»

* Le prix spécial du jury pour «Persepolis» et «Stellet Licht» 

* La Caméra d'or pour «Meduzot»

* Le prix d'interprétation féminine à Jeo Do-Yeon

* Le prix d'interprétation masculine à Constantin Lavronenko

同济校名： 

 

   

 

 

同济校徽：

    

 

同济校训：

  严谨 求实 团结 创新

同济校风：

  同舟共济 自强不息

　　　　　
同济校歌：

  同济之歌

 

 

 

 

Les deux candidats qualifiés pour le 2nd tour le 6 mai prochain:

 

 

Nicolas Sarkozy (30%)  &  Ségolène Royal (25%)

 

 

 

 

« No town plan can be adequately described in terms of its two-dimensional pattern; for it is only in the third dimension, through movement in space, and in the fourth dimension, through transformation in time, that the functional and esthetic relationships come to life.» [1]

-- Lewis Mumford

 

  I.  INTRODUCTION

One of the major difficulties and problems with contemporary urban design theory, debate and practice is the sense that urbanism is ‘architecture, only at a larger scale and within an urban context’. This results in far too much emphasis on the ‘design’, and not enough of an understanding of the ‘urban’ factors. If urban planning may be defined as the process of giving physical design direction to the growth and conservation of cities, suburbs and regions, it must be seen as far more than an aesthetic phenomenon; it is also a social and political endeavor.

Prior to the 20th century, urban planning was centered around beautification and social reform. Advocates of the City Beautiful Movement believed that such beautification could thus provide a harmonious social order that would improve the lives of the inner-city poor. As the century progressed, planning began to embrace the whole range of human geography – physical, social, economic, political and environmental. The city of the late nineteenth, early twentieth century was in a process of transformation. Industrialization, which had destroyed the traditional craft works and made small-scale farming unprofitable, brought workers into urban areas at explosive rates. At the same time, the automobile assailed historic street patterns, causing the equivalent of gridlock and a dangerous situation for pedestrians. Patterns of urban development and spatial structure were to be changed.

Providing the archetype for countless urban renewal projects with his "Radiant City" concept -- a set of tall apartment and office towers surrounded by parks and superhighways, Le Corbusier’s theories aptly describe the twentieth century’s mechanistic approach to architecture, planning and city design. At that time, urban life was seen as a series of physical activities, which should be separated in time and space, and so cities were divided into zones for sleeping, eating and shopping, working and recreating. This reductionist approach to the city reflects the dominance of the physical sciences throughout society in the 20th century, and it has led to seemingly never ending cycles of development, congestion, infrastructure provision, sprawl and more congestion. However, it is in the age of globalization that cities become much more diversified spaces and the urban situation becomes much more complicated.

 

II.                CURRENTE SITUATION

The term "globalization' was coined in the latter half of the twentieth century, and the term and its concepts did not permeate popular consciousness until the latter half of the 1980s. Process of globalization brings increasing global connectivity, integration and interdependence in the economic, social, technological, cultural, political, and ecological spheres, which produces higher levels of material wealth and results in technological advances thanks to the possible cooperation in a large scale. Meanwhile, we should admit that, some special problems confronted by contemporary cities, including degradation of the nature environment, mass immigration, global warm, international terrorist networks etc, are associated with globalization. Solutions to these problems necessitate a deep reflection on how we’ve come to today’s situation and what roles city design plays therein.

Globalisation causes firstly the increasing spatial division of labour and of economies in the international scale, which lead to the situation that transport of goods and mobility of people continue to grow steadily every year adding to the pollution of the global environment, the depletion of fossil fuels and pollution and congestion at the local level. People had an insane notion that adding road space could cure congestion, therefore came the development of transport infrastructure, and particularly roads, to respond to the economic pressures and to increase mobility and accessibility. However, this kind of development causes in turn more consummation of energy and more pollution. In particular, it results in opening up rural areas to new urban development in an intention of easing the long distance and international flow of goods over-riding local sustainability needs, which overcomes negative effects such as car-based mobility and urban sprawl.

Alongside excessive land take, traffic levels and car use, congestion and pollution, other key issues were identified, including social and ethnic segregation, lack of participation and social alienation, growing crime and insecurity, unemployment, lack of housing, mass immigration etc. Jane Jacobs, who rose to fame with her 1961 book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, unflinchingly pointed to the mistaken assumptions that led designers to create dreadful crime-ridden super-blocks under the rubric “urban renewal”. She reveals a common flaw among all designers of habitable environment: that often they are driven by notions of how things ‘should’ work rather than finding how things actually work. The problem with that approach to solving urban problems is that it simplifies the way humans interact with their environment and with each other.

 

III.             REFLECTIONS

Complexity theory increasingly views the world as being composed of a number of deep patterns, with surprising universality. And given the discrediting of the physical model of the city, it is appropriate to ask what lessons we might learn from a better understanding of man’s interaction with his environment and the with each other. Uses change over time, while types of streets, blocks and buildings are more permanent and -- if we get it right -- are flexible, to a certain extent, to absorb the changes in use as many as possible without major changes in form. It is suggested that urban design should provide a flexible framework for addressing those environmental, social, economic and technological issues appearing in contemporary cities, with an emphasis on changing life styles and sustainable production and consumption patterns.

A thoughtful and responsible city design would build not on the imaginary theories of city planners, but on observations and records of city life. It isn’t enough to follow rules of thumb in design, which are often abstract tools, it also requires a deeper understanding what people are really like. “The main responsibility of city planning and design should be to develop—insofar as public policy and action can do so—cities that are congenial places for this great range of unofficial plans, ideas, and opportunities to flourish, along with the flourishing of the public enterprises.” Jacobs wrote.[2] Urban planning was not planning for a moment, but trying to cultivate healthy, evolving cities that make people happy to live in.

Many architects and city planners are trying to find solutions appropriate to today’s situation and helpful for the future. The sustainable high-rise city model adapted by the architect, Richard Rogers, for his entry to the Shanghai Pudong District planning competition is an example. This proposed mixed-use towers linked to pedestrian and public transport-orientated movement systems, appropriate for high value central areas of larger cities. This approach to urban form and its associated life-style is often seen in practice in Asian cities like Hong Kong. Taking into account the emerging problems in contemporary society, more and more countries are taking actions to make city more agreeable to live and more sustainable with regard to its future development (city-wide plans in Spain, polycentric developments in Sweden…).

Although planning as a modern discipline is based on the assumption that its rationality enables ‘solving’ problems and transforming space, we clearly do not have all the answers to the challenge of creating sustainable communities, or of adapting traditional building and urbanism to a world of peak oil, global climate change and possible sea level rise. The barriers for the achievement of a sustainable development of city cover especially the theme of political will and awareness. In despite of that, challenges facing contemporary city could not, and should not stop us from dreaming a wonderful city that we will finally create.

Everything is possible, if only there is a dream!

 

---

[1]  «The City in History » (1961)

[2] « The Death and Life of Great American Cities» (1961)

 

QL is leaving, so are ZYQ and JY.

Wish all of them a good beginning for their new lives, no matter in London or HongKong, or eventually in Shanghai.

 

We are destined to meet some certain people in a certain stage of our life, with whom we share a stretch of path before arriving at next crossroads where these people will leave and some new people will join in. 

 

People that we meet on the path are all unique and special, deserving to be cherished.

When it comes the moment of their departure, we could do nothing, but let it be.

And give them a grateful regard, a sincere wish.

 

Good luck, guys!

 

Clear, honest, without reservation, transparent...In short, like air.

Moving spiritually, in three dimensions.

Pure beauty. 

       

 

I saw it again yesterday, Sydney Pollack's <Out of Africa>, after coming back from a tour in Le Pavillon de Arsenal where were exhibited Frank Gehry's recent work, the Fondation LVMH, on which my work will focus from next month on.

 

On the way home, I kept thinking about this American architect and sought for every thing I knew about him, at once came to my mind a familiar name, Sydney Pollack. They seem to be close friends. The latter has even made a documentary about F.Gehry. And then, I began to miss this wonderful film of Pollack, <Out of Africa>, and decided to watch it again the moment I arrived at home.

 

And I did so.

Once again, I was conquered by this pure beauty. Outstanding Meryl Streep, splendid score of John Barry, magnificent African landscape...all of this was overwhelming, truly overwhelming. Words did not have sense any more in front of this nature possessing a undescribable magnificence, I lost the ability of speaking until the moment Lorenzo dropped by.

 

I think I will be there one day.

Away from this more and more complicated world.

Towards a pure place, where there are only simple and glorious creatures of God.

 

 

« It was one of the most beautful places in the world, just letting a spirit go. »

                                                                                                                             ------------  Meryl Streep

 

Another internship started.

 

Up to the presente, everyday I'm learning something new. 

It feels really good.

 

 

 

--  ''Je t'aime'', depuis combien de temps tu n'as pas pu à prononcer ces trois mots?

--  ''Je t'aime'', ces trois mots, depuis combien de temps tu n'as pas osé à les prononcer?

--  Quand tu es amoureuse de quelqu'un, as tu le courage de le dire?

--  ...... Il ne reste qu'une cigarette.  J'ai encore une nuit entière.

 

 

--  "I love you". How long havn't you said these three words?

--  "I love you", how long havn't you dared to say them?

--  When you fell in love with somebody, do you dare tell him?

--  (Silence) ...... There remains only a cigarette.  I have still a whole night.

 

 

 

--  我爱你，这三个字，你有多久没有说过了？

--  我爱你这三个字，你有多久不敢说了？

--  你爱上一个人的时候，你敢告诉他吗？

--  ... 只有一根烟了，还要过一夜。

 

 

 

       

 

 

A 2006 German film, the debut of director / screenwriter Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. The last scene is remarkably dealt with, which is my favorite scene. Even though it told a not really credible plot, according to the critics and political commentors in Germany, this film was a revelation of what the dictatorship looked like in the former GDR (German Democratic Republic) before the fall of the Berlin Wall, compared with those evidences of ''nostalgia'' for the communist era that have been incisively and vividly described in another successuful German film, <Goodbye, Lelin!>, a film I equally appreciated, particularly for its splendid music.

 

There was a sentence in this film that did catch my special attention, stated by the portrayed minister of culture: Is this the Federal Republic that you ever wanted? People have no belief, no faith. Now, do you still have the passion of writing to fight for your desired freedom?.....

 

Personally, I am always not really for the supreme-freedom-theory, and I consider the constraints to a certain degree helpful for the stability of a society. Besides, an abuse of freedom would generate a risk of making people stop thinking, stop the reflection on what they are experiencing, consequently they would lost themselves in the face of a vast freedom-sea, resulting a society not really aware of the direction in which it shoud go. In contrast with that, some constraints to a certain degree could force people to reflect, make people be conscious of their society's shortage, as a result, they would be more active to make improvements and their society progresses. However, the essential thing, here, lies in the adjustment of "constraints' degree", which should be neither too high nor too low, a degree hard to control.

 

''No more, no less, that will be perfect!'' This rule is applicable in almost every situation, including the distance control between two lovers (which reminds me of the beginning of the French movie <FanFan> at once.....). But is that realizable?

We all know the answer.

 

 

--  "We are just the human beings, neither angles nor God. Don't ask us for too much!" 

A cried.

--  "So you will never deserve the perfection, you poor human beings."

B replied.